Purpose

In recent years the Council and St Leger Homes
of Doncaster (SLHD) have been jointly involved with the delivery of
a property acquisition programme. St Leger Homes currently
administer the
programme on behalf of the Council in which property purchases and
conveyance is undertaken by the Council, the properties are brought
in to housing stock and are Council owned, St Leger
Homes then facilitate necessary repairs to appropriate standards
and subsequently let and manage the property.
This purchase has been considered in line with the need to address
the high demand for affordable rental properties including 2 &
3 bedroom general let homes but especially larger properties or
those suitable for adaptations which acts as a key driver in the
process and forms the basis for acquisitions in many areas across
Doncaster where there is an under supply of properties.
We also consult with Doncaster Home Choice, and consider the
criteria in order to meet the DLUHC funding requirements for
housing Ukrainian and Afghan Refugees.
The approved four year capital budget 2023/24-2026/27 was approved
on 27th February 2023 and included provision for acquisitions and
buy backs of former Council homes, to ensure as far
as possible that all housing needs are met.
In addition additional match funding from DLUHC is identified to
facilitate the purchase of 9 properties (5x3 bed and 4x4 bed) to
provide housing for Ukrainian and Afghan Refugees which
whilst purchased using exactly same criteria and process, will be
allocated in a separate manner for at least 4 years before being
integrated in to general let stock.

Content

To support the proposal for the purchase, 66
Churchfield Road, Campsall.
The purchase price is £130,000 and provisional inspections
have estimated the further Housing Revenue Account investment costs
to be approx. £8-10k to ensure the property is fully
modernised

Alternative options considered

Option 1 – Approve the property purchase
– (recommended option)
This option will support the acquisition programme by utilising
available funds to maximise the opportunity to provide additional
housing provision across the borough in line with the Housing
Needs Survey.

Option 2 - Do Nothing
This option would lose the opportunity to deploy approved funding
to help ease the Demand for properties on the Housing Waiting
List.